You are cherished
by Najouafan
Summary: He had been given a choice, the choice to go back home. He stayed however, in this unfamiliar land. He's seaching for the reason why he'd decided to stay but the more he spends time with her, the more he forgets to search for a reason. Still, why does it feel as if "home" is calling him back?


_**A/N: **So I've been playing FF13-2 for a while now and the idea of a fanfic just popped into my mind the second I saw Noel's and Lightning's first dialogue so yeah, about this fanfic, I'm thinking about making this rather short but who knows? Enjoy~_

**Chapter 1**: First touches

The sun was shining brighter than ever high above the skies of Neo-Bodhum, signaling the arrival of yet another warm summer. Two years have passed since those horrible time lines which got out of control inviting paradox after paradox to distort history, be it in the past or the future. Things were rather peaceful here with there rarely being any significant disturbing occurrences like a meteorite falling or even a man from the future appearing out of the blue. Yes, the same man which had landed onto this very same place two years ago and who still didn't leave when it was all over was still there. Nobody dared to ask why he had stayed or was able to stay for that matter. There were a few people who had come forth, questioning him about why he had stayed when clearly his home had been in the future but even the man himself had been unable to answer, giving out vague responses and evading any questioning people when he saw them coming towards him from the distance.

After all, it wasn't as if he couldn't have gone home when the moment had presented itself before him but something had stopped him from going. _"Why did I stay here?"_ The same question that had followed him during these two years and to which he was sure he couldn't possibly find an answer to, got somehow less important right on Serah's birthday party earlier that year. He remembered that day like it was yesterday, Snow more excited to party than the party girl herself, had been preparing the shipment of "reinvented fireworks – Snow style" as he liked to call it and the NORA team had been redecorating every corner of their headquarters which –thanks to the fast environmental development- had been upgraded into a building which could easily compete to the HQ they had back in Cocoon. Things were going smoothly and he had been relaxing on the beach, watching the waves gently rocking back and forth when he felt a presence slowly approaching from behind.

Before he could, however, even move an inch of his body, a monotone sounding voice called out to him. "Noel Kreiss." He didn't need to turn around to have a look at her to know that it couldn't have been anyone else than Lightning. He remained sat on the sand, never lifting his gaze away from the waves which took several different curved shapes as they went forth. "Lightning Farron." He replied back without giving her a glance and wondered why she still wouldn't call him by his name only. According to Serah, Lightning had a hard time calling her friends back then when they were all still l'Cie by their names and she told him that he would have to gain her trust to make her call him by his name. He still wondered what had to be done to get the formalities out of the way and start acting like friends rather than simple comrades but somehow he got used to it along the way, hoping the moment came where his name would finally be uttered out of her lips, not that it mattered much at that time.

"Lazing around like always I see. Not much one of parties and planning that goes with it, I reckon?" _"Is this small talk?"_ He furrowed his brows as he contemplated on the idea that she may be talking out of sheer amusement. Since she only came to him to talk about work or to ask the whereabouts of her sister, her sudden attempt on starting up a conversation left him perplexed but replied without leaving so much as a hint to how much it had surprised him.

"Well, Snow's always been the man to plan everything even before anyone else, wanting no one to butt into the way of his "special" fireworks so I guess he would most certainly reject me should I suggest my help and the decoration was never my forte. Better stay out of the way of everyone." He expected Lightning to sigh any moment now, leaving him as fast as she had joined him but to his amazement she came to sit beside him on the soft and warm sand. The moon was shining brightly offering them the only thing close to light they had since they were quite a bit far from the houses and noises surrounding the upcoming celebration. After a little silence, he spoke up, trying to avoid any question which would make her want to leave. Her presence had, after all, a seemingly soothing effect on him as she sat unmoving beside him.

"And you? Shouldn't you be with your sister right now?" He had wanted to slap himself so much his question had been one of those he had categorized as "leaving cue" and which would have made her want to go searching for her sister. Here again, she nonchalantly gave out a disinterested answer.

"Yeah, I should have been the one to distance her to give us time for the party preparations but Sazh and his little one Dajh offered themselves, saying that it had been too long since they had last seen each other. Quite alright though, she would have most probably dragged me somewhere to buy clothes again at the night stores." He chuckled lightly, taking a quick peek at her face, wanting to know what kind of expression had fitted her gentle sounding words. Her lips had formed a little smile which rapidly faded as she turned her head to face him, her next words leaving him more astounded than anything else she had said a little earlier.

"Do you miss your home?" Her voice had sounded a little hoarse probably due to the fact of them being so close to the ocean accompanied by the salty filled wind. He looked up at the crystal filled Cocoon into the sky right beside the moon he had been gazing at, knowing no answer that could possibly reply to her question. A moment of silence passed before he finally opened his mouth, his mind filling with memories of his home, a look of nostalgia clearly written on his face.

"You know, I still remember all their faces, be it friends, family, comrades… I remember them very clearly. How our laughter echoed by the campfire making us forget all the desolate, dirty and post- apocalyptic state of our surroundings. While hunting, watching how others fell to the ground and having only two possible reasons at hand for the reason of their fall. They were either famished with no strength left to spend or simply dead, killed by the very beast they had been hunting. I remember all that and all those memories show no sign of disappearing any sooner and they might as well never disappear because I don't see them as negative….not anymore. Still, I know that the future is changed now and that the future I know was replaced by a brighter one. I miss those dear people who I used to live with and I would wish for nothing more than to see them once again but I guess I am the only one to blame. I willingly stayed here even though I could have gone home and since I was an element that should never have existed here, I somehow didn't disappear…" He sighed finally ending his long one-sided talk while asking himself if it hadn't just been himself venting out his feelings.

However, he didn't regret what he had just told; it was quite the opposite truly. He felt as if a heavy boulder which had stuck itself on his shoulders just fell straight down his back. Lightning had been watching him without saying a word, her gaze sometimes switching from his face to Cocoon's crystal shell. He wondered if she had been thinking about those she had left behind too but then again, there was no need to take a guess about something that had been that clear.

Lighting took a deep breath before looking up; for once she had her sights on the stars hanging above their heads instead of her homeland. "There always comes a time when we all miss our homeland, our family and friends but one day we'll eventually have to part with that place we call "home". My home was in Cocoon but that's not why I felt truly at home. True, it had been my homeland but that didn't matter, wherever my sister was, there was my home. However, while I know I can't always stay by her side since Snow will one day take that position, I will never lose the feeling of being at "home" when staying with her. I guess that the same could not be possible for you so let me ask you this, why did you stay?"

"_At home huh? 'Wish that had been the reason why I stayed."_ Everything was a jumble in his head as he searched for an answer to give her. She had taken her time to finally have a real conversation with him almost sounding concerned about his situation in having passed on his opportunity of going back although it might also very well be his feelings playing tricks while looking at things the way he wanted them to be. Truthfully, the reason he had decided to stay had still been a little hazy for him but he decided to share it with her anyway.

"I don't know if it will make any sense to you but I'm still not sure about the reasons myself. The moment I had to choose, it was as if time just stood still around me while I hesitated. Really? Who would hesitate between home and a past which one never belonged to in the first place? Apparently me, since somehow thinking about everything that happened, there had been one thing which drove me to stay behind. A feeling so powerful that I felt it would rip me into shreds would I not have chosen to stay. All of a sudden I felt a slight warm touch on my chest and a voice which told me "Your place is cherished"." Having said it out loud, his explanation had sounded even more absurd than when he had replayed it in his head and noticing Lightning's slight furrowed brows he assumed she might be thinking the same.

Still with furrowed brows and a serious look in her eyes, Lightning replied back. "It seems to me like it's an incomplete sentence but that's just me speculating about it. I'm sorry that I can't help you further but I know that you miss your home and also that you might never be able to go back again…Still, I want you to know that you can think of us as your home now, Noel." His heart heavily thumped harder as he heard his name being spoken in such a gentle way. Before he could turn to her for a reply, she had suddenly gotten up and after patting her hand a few times on his shoulder, she slowly walked away. He still stood stunned on the spot, wondering if he should steal a glance at her back before it would fade in the distance but rather than looking back, he thought of the reason why he suddenly felt so hot and feverish despite there being a chilly wind which had made him already shiver even before Lightning's arrival. All this seemed to point into the direction toward which he wanted to go the least. It had, after all, been so long since he had felt this way and taking in the fact about how it had gone for him the last time –needless to say, very bad – he had no desire to start something only for having the risk about it ending badly.

He tried to reason with himself, struggling to keep his emotions under control, trying to convince himself of things being impossible over and over again. In the end, there was only one solution, accepting it like a man and let things unfold by themselves and maybe, maybe –he desperately hoped– these feelings would only be temporary.

He stood up, letting out a sigh escape from his quivering lips before looking up at the sparkly shining Cocoon and whispering out following words: "No doubts about it. I fell in love."

-x-x-x-x-

It had been as simple as that and sometimes he would catch himself sighing when he thought about how hard it was to catch the attention of a woman like Lightning. Then he shook his head, reminding himself that he was never meant to be here from the start.

"Boy, for how long are ya gonna stare at her? I sure hope you're not staring at the already engaged sister." Noel jumped from surprise as he felt a rather muscular hand fall upon his right shoulder, a rough voice painfully reaching his ears with gusto.

He quickly regained his usual composure, trying to look as unruffled as possible. "W-what are you talking about?" How he wished he could slap himself right across his own face, seeing how he lost all credibility the second he stuttered. Snow laughed, enveloping him in a manly embrace while he lowered his voice to a whisper. "C'mon, don't give me that! I noticed you've been staring at Lightning a lot these days with your mouth drooling out every ounce of water your body contains. Can't say I'm not happy though – I always feared you would fall in love with Serah 'cause of your adventure across time and all that."

He didn't know what to say because Snow was right and no words could express how ridiculous he felt. If Snow –as dense as he appeared to be – had noticed, then surely Lightning too. He slumped his shoulders as he tightened his grip on the firewood he held in his arms. _"These days I barely even notice that I'm actually so obviously staring at her…" _

"Let me tell you Noel, love is a complicated thing. There are times when you stupidly make mistakes when trying to please her but you'll see she will get angry at first but then she'll just forget and jump into your arms." Snow laughed heartily, getting nothing but a frown back from Noel. _"'Should have seen it coming with Snow and his useless love advice."_

"Besides Serah, I don't see anyone else who would "overlook" your stupid mistakes Snow. Now if you'll excuse me, I have this wood to take care of." He hastily gave out a retort before attempting to escape Snow's grip on his shoulder. However, after having walked about two steps, he was roughly pulled back by the scruff of his neck. Caught in his surprise, he let the wood fall on the sand as Snow started to drag him into the two sisters' direction.

Snow whispered into his ear, careful not to let his words get into the sister's hearing reach. "There's no use lying about it now. I'll help you two to hook-up." As soon as he had heard the word "hook up", loud alarm bells started ringing in his head. Letting Snow manage his love life when he knew that he was the first person to shout out a secret two seconds after it had been whispered into his ear? _"No way in Etro's name will I let him." _

He struggled to get out of his grasp when his eyes had suddenly met with Lightning's and his body immediately halted, turning into automatic mode. The moment the two men stopped in front of the two sisters, Serah began to exclaim about her joy. "Hey guys, I hope you two are aware about what will happen tonight?" Her smile quickly took the shape of a cheeky grin as her sister, visibly not interested in the matter, averted her eyes while letting out a quiet sigh.

Snow put on the very same cheeky grin his fiancée wore, exclaiming in the loudest voice possible his next words. "'Course not, who could ever forget the annual Twinkle Festival? Hey, why don't all four of us go this year?"

Noel let out a quiet sigh as Serah cheered to the idea. "Yeah, I always went all alone with Snow so you should come join us too this year, it'll be fun!"

"Don't bother Serah; no one went with you two because nobody wanted to interfere in your couple's bantering." Lightning retorted back, getting a pout back from her sister who started to latch onto her older sister's arm.

"I'll drag you with me if I must", Serah paused to glance at Noel which automatically flinched under her mischievous gaze, "of course this goes for you too Noel." Noel had wanted to give out retorts but each time he had tried, he had felt a hard pinch on his back coming from Snow, definitely managing into keeping him quiet.

They continued to banter in this fashion until Lightning had finally given in to her sister's pleas while stating, "then I'll be able to keep an eye on Snow's wandering hands and lips", receiving only a heavy gulp coming from her sister's fiancé's throat in return.

Finally night had fallen and there were only two hours left until the start of the festival. Noel was sitting on the porch of the NORA headquarters which, as previously mentioned, had turned into something bigger, allowing every member to have an own bedroom. With all his chores done and nothing to do, he absentmindedly stared at the sand stretching into the distance, no sign of water since it had retreated a good way back for the night. Suddenly he felt a very familiar muscular hand on his shoulder and his body automatically twitched from the touch, signaling that there was danger coming his way.

"Hey boy, don't tell me ya going dressed like that?" Noel looked down at his clothing - his favorite blue hunter clothes he wore when he had come from the future. He had always refrained from wearing them out to the city in broad daylight since people would most certainly stare at his unusual clothing. Needless to say, he had been more than obliged by Serah and co. to buy, as stated by Serah "handsomely modern clothes" from which a whole pile he swore to himself he would never wear, mentioning something about them being too tight around some sensitive parts of his body.

Noel quirked an eyebrow at Snow, finding nothing wrong with what he was wearing. "I don't see where the problem is. Night broke and people will all be too distracted by the festival and their colorful blankets to care about what I wear."

Snow laughed, sending Noel's ears drumming in pain again. "Those things you call blankets are called "yukatas". You should really start to learn about our past traditions a little more. Anyway, I'm not asking for ya to change into those "blankets", you're going to have to dress nicer than that to get Lightning's attention tonight so I'm gonna help ya with that."

Noel sighed, wondering why Snow always started to mock him whenever Noel asked about something foreign to him. However, before he could even protest, Snow took hold of his arm and dragged him back to the house. "Snow, I'm telling you to stop interfering into my business!" His outbursts fell onto deaf ears as they neared Noel's bedroom.

"S-Snow, this is wrong."

"Just stay still kiddo, I got this."

"But it's too tight!"

"Nah, you'll see. It will slide easily in no time."

…

He had never felt so embarrassed in his whole life and if that hadn't been enough, their talk had sounded so improper that somebody who might listen without looking could have misinterpreted the whole thing.

Basically, Snow had forced him to change his clothes and Noel had been sure that if he hadn't taken his own clothes off, Snow would have gladly helped him with it, not thinking one second about how weird it would have looked like.

After Noel had put on a pure white shirt accompanied by a pair of not so comfortable dark blue jeans, Snow had thrown at him a simple pair of nut brown boots. Having refused wearing something which Noel was sure to be tight, Snow had forcefully held his leg down to the ground, trying to slide in the boots –which you surely have noticed by now to be tight- hence, the improper talk.

"Snow, just stop that. I can wear my sandals just fine." The two of them were sitting on the ground with Snow still trying by all means to slide in the boots to Noel's feet, his tongue brushing now and again his upper lip, clearly showing effort.

"Hey, I told you that I got this-." As soon as he had finished his sentence, the boot had finally slid into place. "Yeah! See, I told you." He showed a very brow-furrowed Noel his fist, scrambling on the floor to get the second boot, lying a little farther away.

Sighing again, Noel gave up his protests, silently watching how Snow was trying to slide in the other boot. After a little silence and a few vain attempts from Snow, His blue eyes suddenly shot up while his hands stopped all activity. "Say, this does look pretty weird right?"

Noel's face contorted into a look of disbelief, tightening his hands into fists to keep himself from punching that idiot right across the face and slapping himself for not having shown more restraint when he was being "held hostage". Still, now that he got his attention, Noel began to question him. "Why are you doing this - helping me with Lightning I mean?"

Snow looked back at him, his eyes revealing nothing else than that mischievous glint he seem to be wearing at all times. "You know, I've seen Light having those days when she has that lonely abandoned-looking girl expression on her face when she looks at us. It's not in a bad way, I feel as if she truly accepts mine and Serah's engagement but it is clear that once married, one day we will have the talk about wanting to start a family and living in our own house. I know that she will take the decision to live on her own but she could try to deny it as many times as she wants, I know that she will be feeling lonely. That's why I thought she could use some company."

"_Who wouldn't feel lonely?"_ His heart sank at the sudden thought of a sad looking Lightning. A woman like Lightning rarely showed her feelings but once she did, you know that you had her trust and it could be the most gratifying feeling you would ever get.

"Ah, finally all there, come on, we have a festival to go to." While he had been daydreaming about Lightning, Noel failed to notice how he now wore the two boots which had put up quite a fight. He slowly stood up, amazed about the fact that it wasn't as tight he thought it to be. Snow patted him on the back, leading him away and back to the front entrance where an expressionless Lighting and a pouting Serah were already waiting.

"Hey darling, what's with that pouty mouth?" Snow came up to her, wounding his muscular arm around her shoulders. Serah leaned into his arms, putting on the most outrageous like expression she could muster before stopping, practically gawking as she perceived Noel. "My, my, Snow at least _**you**_ got him to wear proper clothes. On the other hand, Lightning refused every dress I presented to her."

Looking over at Lightning he could see she had curiously quirked an eyebrow at him but soon diverted her eyes back to Serah. "I'm fine with what I'm wearing thank you." Lightning was wearing short jeans shorts with a simple black tank top, simple clothing which Serah apparently still continued to disapprove of.

Seeing how any attempts on Lightning were futile, Serah looked back to Snow. "What did you do to convince him?" She wore the sneakiest of grins as Snow proudly pounded his chest with his fist like a monkey who had just received a banana and declaring proudly: "I threatened him."

"Sure…because "take your clothes off or I'll do it myself", sounds really threatening coming from you." Lightning sarcastically threw in her opinion, followed by an "idiot" mumbled under her breath which clearly didn't go unheard.

Snow was about to reply but got cut off by Noel, who finally seemed to be gaining back his pride he had lost during their discussion. "Could we stop talking about Snow taking my clothes off and just go please?" He had added the "please" only to remain polite but if he were listening only to his trembling fist, he would have gladly punched Snow a good few times_. "Now I really don't have any chance with her…I feel humiliated."_

After his –somehow calm- outburst, the group finally moved towards the city where the festival was held. Well, people may call it city but it really only still looked like a huge town yet, there was progress.

The streets were decorated with stalls of food, accessories, games and the most important, stars. It wasn't called the Twinkle Festival for nothing. Once all year at this date, people could observe a star shower in the sky but the most amazing fact is that the stars all look but similar, be it in color or shape. Nobody knows what that occurrence truly is and although many have tried to investigate it, no one found out an explanation or concrete image of those "stars".

"The strange thing is, we didn't have this in Cocoon right?" Serah asked out of the blue, making the three stop in their tracks. She had eyed a peculiar stand which sold crafted star shaped ornaments, now excitedly looking around. Lightning crossed her arms as she observed her sister. "Well, maybe we were too occupied with something else to notice it."

Seemed plausible, Noel thought, the other three continued exchanging answers to Serah's question while he looked up at the darkened sky. Memories of the past started to rush in his head about when he was still a child in the arms of his parents while they observed the sky twinkling with falling stars. Those were the only happy moments he had and he felt his heart clenching. _"Will I ever see them again?" _The so familiar feeling called guilt came biting back at him, knowing that it had been his choice made it harder for him to accept the fact that he would never return.

A hand he didn't feel familiar with came resting down upon his shoulder and he turned around in surprise to find Lighting wearing her ever so expressionless mask on her face. "Serah and Snow ditched us, saying they needed their "space" and before I could object, they ran away giggling like idiots." She gave out an annoyed sigh, looking up to him, seeming to await an answer.

He was left speechless, somehow the thought of being alone with her made him uneasy. "_C'mon be a man now."_ How he could hear Snow's voice in his head was a mystery but he finally opened his mouth. "Should we go look for a good spot to watch the stars?" _"What an idiot."_ It was clear that he had talked too fast and too low for anyone to follow and as he searched for any kind of reaction out of Lighting, the urge to flee was beginning to sound more and more appealing with each passing second.

She slowly tilted her head to the side and he noticed it being something she always did when curiosity piqued her. Then, without saying anything, she took a hold of his arm, dragging him to a little hill, a little further away from the crowds. She never stopped walking nor did she talk along the way until they reached a spot under a grand cedar tree. She looked up and there they were. A huge amount of stars falling across the sky, different colors, different shapes, it could as well not be stars at all.

Finally catching his breath -because yes, her walking had been rather running- he finally realized why she had tilted her head in curiosity. She had already noticed the stars before everyone. They sat side by side in silence and it strangely reminded him of that time as they had sat in a similar fashion by the ocean and where he had also…fallen in love with her. _"It's been awhile now."_ The nervousness he had felt was all gone, in its place, a gentle and pleasant feeling in his chest.

"Did you have this star shower back at home too?" "Back at home", was what everyone referred to when the correct word would be "the future". Her question surprised him and taking a glance in her direction, she still hadn't taken her eyes away from the sky.

"Yes, I had. There was also this something which my people used to say." He paused, making sure she was interested, then continued when hearing Lighting's silent "hm". "There was a story telling about a traveler who came from another unknown land to a modest little village. Every night, while sitting around a campfire he told entertaining stories to who would like to listen. Every night, more and more villagers came to listen to his stories until one person in particular caught the eye of the traveler. A young girl with the most angelic face and golden locks he had ever seen a girl wearing. No matter if her clothes were tattered or if her face sometimes were dirtied with mud, he still had fallen in love with her. So, the night wore on with the two of them getting closer, much the same as their feelings which were growing stronger with each story told. Finally came the time where the day of the Twinkle Festival was just around the corner but two days before it being held, the traveler –much to everyone's surprise – ceased to tell stories and was only seen watching the stars on a hill with a sad expression. The young girl, worried about him, always joined him in his star gazing, never uttering a word or complaint. The day of the Twinkle Festival came and the young girl could feel how much the traveler was feeling uneasy, so she decided to ask him what could possibly trouble him. The traveler –although reluctantly at first- started to tell about how he had been banished from the realm of the gods for having been selfishly taking happiness without giving it in return from humans and got thrown out into the open world because of it. Nevertheless, the gods weren't heartless, giving out a mission for him to accomplish while being among humans in order for him to be able to return. Just as he had done when he had still been a god, instead of stealing stories from humans to claim them as his own, he would have to tell every single story he had ever been told without mentioning it to be his own adventures. It had been hard to believe the words of her loved one but it hadn't been the fact about him being a god that surprised her, it had been the fact about him having to return which was hard to take in. Even without him telling, she could see from his eyes that he missed being a god and his home which lied beyond the stars and all she could do was tightly holding on to him in fear he might disappear all of a sudden. The traveler was heartbroken to leave his lover behind and since she was a human, no god would accept their union but he had to return even if all he wished for was to stay human so he decided on a parting gift. With a heavy heart, he stood up, never letting go of his lover's hand while declaring, "We do not have much time left, my love. I wish I could stay by your side forever but all things have an end and as much as I wish for you to not suffer for my disappearing, I know you still will. With my powers returned I will transform this festival you call stargazing into a demonstration of my feelings only you should know the reasons of." With a last kiss planted on her rosy lips, he disappeared leaving his last words trailing through the air. "No star shall be the same, be it in size, color or shape. For there are so many beautiful things in this world, with one of them being your feelings for me." So that is how the annual stargazing festival actually became the Twinkle Festival although it remains simply as being only a legend."

He finished his story with a soft sigh, waiting for Lightning's reaction which after a moment still didn't come. Finally, he noticed he had been feeling a heavy weight on his shoulder for quite a while and looking down, he found it to be Lightning head. Noel could hear the soft rhythmic breathing coming from her and realized she had just fallen asleep on his shoulder. He grew uneasy again at the different contact and warmth coming from his shoulder and tried to keep his mind on the stars above him. _"This is going to take a while but…I'm definitely not complaining."_

After a while indeed, Lightning finally awoke, the star shower already over a good long time ago. "What's beautiful never lasts, huh?" She surprised him with her words and noticing Noel's questioning gaze, she stood up while stretching her arms and explaining herself. "That's what the traveler said right? He created that star shower to show his feelings while saying that his lover's feelings for him were beautiful but actually, I think his feelings are actually just as beautiful but I guess he had finally learnt to put other people first before himself."

"_She listened after all."_ A small smile spread on his lips, happy that she had listened to his entire story before having fallen asleep. He stood up as well, not sure why he was suddenly feeling like he's missing a certain warmth.

Lighting looked up a last time to the sky, the unmoving stars above reflected and twinkling now in her eyes and he had found that moment so beautiful that he continued to stare –paying attention of not getting caught of course.

"Do you think Serah's happy?" Strangely her voice had suddenly become hoarse, her question seeming to be directed to the moon rather than to him. However, not sure what to reply but wanting to say something anyway, he looked up, answering her in a whisper. "She has people she can be "at home" anywhere plus someone she can share her love with for the rest of her life. My take in this is that she's definitely happy. Do you doubt it?"

She didn't reply but instead looked to him, her lips twitching up into the most bewitching smile he had ever seen. It had been a curt moment but one he would remember for the rest of his life. "If she's happy, I'm happy."

If he hadn't been so observant concerning Lighting, he wouldn't have seen the little glint of loneliness sparkling in her eyes at that moment. What exactly made her feel so lonely? Without giving it a second thought, he reached his hand towards her shoulder –hesitating a little bit along the way – to finally softly rest it on her shoulder.

"I'm here." It's all he said and also the last thing he would say. He awaited no answer although he hoped inwardly that she would try to confide in him –even though it sounded quite impossible. Noel knew that there was something she wasn't telling and might she one day tell him whatever's up or not, he wouldn't insist. For now, he only wanted to convey his feelings in a way that he was sure she wouldn't feel bothered with. He was there, here and now for her. Let's leave the future to the future.

Lighting quirked an eyebrow as her eyes came resting upon the hand he had directly fumbled about to retrieve from her shoulder. With a quick laugh she walked away, waving her hand while uttering following words: "I'll take you up on that."

He watched her walk gracefully towards the town, relieved that no one was there to see the goofy smile he struggled to keep under control. _"Maybe she's not that far from reach."_ Although all he wanted was to have a chance, he also couldn't help thinking about the traveler from his story. Could he disappear back to the place he came from one day and leave everyone, her, behind? He shook his head, running after Lightning, feeling slightly fulfilled for today.

* * *

><p>I know this sounds kinda improbable, but hey, everyone's got preferences right? Hope you liked it and reviews are always welcome! See you in next chapter: Getting closer.<p> 


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